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Just pop a test frame in of eggs/larvae providing you have another hive. Never does any harm & May stop you worrying. Most of my test frames suggest Q+, if Q- then I pop in one of my local queens, job done.

Unlike a good red, a queen in a transport cage does not improve with age.

Most methods to introduce a new queen into a colony work until they don’t.

Why did you wait a week after the split to introduce a new queen?

Prepping those QC starters coincides with first wave of brood harvest. Then 6-7 weeks later the second wave of brood harvest to prep nucs for newly mated queens. Managing the brood box is the key to a bumper harvest and controlling swarming.

Just use that brood in other colonies, queen cell starters & nucs. Substitute foundation or drawn comb so plenty of space to lay. I run 14x12 & double national & I enjoy working both.

“A 14x12 gives 41% more brood space than a deep and that increase is often insufficent for prolific queens. What to do then? Add another 14x12? They weigh over 25kg when loaded and so limit flexible brood management.” A brood box may become honey,pollen or brood bound. Simply move the frames...

As others have said get help. Looks like parasitic mite syndrome. Last photo shows DWV, bee centre frame.

That’s a thought. None since last year. Do you think he’s making a not that subtle hint?

Walt Wright’s series of articles are worth a read. Bit dogmatic but some good original thoughts on beekeeping. A lot of what some of our contemporary ‘beemasters’ write comes from Walt’s teachings. https://www.beesource.com/threads/walt-wright.365657/

Taking a nuc swarm control. Remove queen with 5 frames into nuc. Replace with dummy frames to avoid honey-bound frames. If letting the colony requeen itself then replace dummies with drawn comb when new queen starts laying. Or remove all capped QC’s, go back 6 days later & remove all QC’s. Unite...

I’ve had a good friendly relationship with the landowner. I get your point about speaking out. However I got on well over the years by just going along with the farmers suggestions. They are often a law unto themselves and as I’ve been through 10’s ++ over the years with only having to leave a...

The walking route is different to the drive as I avoid his house/gate do no issue with grass.

Thanks for the sound advice. My gut feeling was it’s the landowner who wants me to reduce by inspection visits. Access at the moment is close to his house & he may be getting annoyed at me driving up & opening gate. The apiary is within walking distance from home so may just scale down my setup...

What would you do? A local landowner allows me to use his field. A few years ago he allowed another farmer to keep cattle on the land. Only informed me the night before (better than telling me afterwards). Not a problem as I fenced off my area. This year this farmer is going to harvest the grass...

They’re wild animals. I always suit up with at least a jacket. Your 20 stings are more than I’d expect in a season. Risk assessment when working your own bees is an individuals choice. Another reason you found them defensive could have been they were disturbed before hand by an animal?

Queen may still be in the hive if she was clipped.

A nail to replace the broken lug works well for me. I will work the frames to the side then replace when necessary

Bees on the rear could be a swarm that landed are bees hanging under the hive. Otherwise the queen may have gone walk about?

Until one day! Now I give mine a spray of Dipel before storing & a second spray 1 month later.